The junta, which is trying to suppress widespread armed opposition to its rule, announced in February that it would pass a law allowing all men to be conscripted into the army for at least two years.
Following the announcement, thousands of men queued for visas at foreign embassies in Yangon, while others traveled to neighboring Thailand.
The Labor Ministry has “temporarily suspended” accepting applications from men wanting to work abroad, the ministry said in a statement issued by the junta’s media group on Thursday evening.
More than four million Myanmar citizens worked abroad in 2020, according to an International Labor Organization estimate based on data from the then government.
Analysts believe many more Myanmar citizens are working abroad without being officially registered in their home country.
The previous junta had already drafted a military eavesdropping law in 2010, but it has never been implemented until now. It allows all men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to be drafted into the army for a period of at least two years.
This law also provides that during a state of emergency, the period of service may be extended to five years, but ignoring the call may result in imprisonment for the same period.
The Myanmar army, which seized power in the country in 2021, has declared a state of emergency. It was recently extended for another six months.
A junta spokesman said the law was necessary “due to the situation in the country.” Myanmar’s army is fighting the so-called People’s Defense Forces and armed minority groups.
About 13 million people will be subject to conscription, but the army will be able to train only 50 thousand people a year.
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2024-05-03 11:54:25